As is so often the case, it is more of an implementation problem than a knowledge problem. Europeans have known for a long time that they must join forces if they are still to be a noticeable factor in the future world order. “Geopolitical Europe” or “European sovereignty” was once again a frequent topic at this year’s Munich Security Conference.
It was often crises – external threats – that made further integration steps necessary. Now it is Russia’s attack on Ukraine and Europe’s peace order that is moving things towards a jointly organized defense policy.
Some ideas are still in the distant future
The ideas and initiatives that were presented in Munich vary in their level of realism. French President Emmanuel Macron’s offer – the EU states could gather under France’s nuclear umbrella – is more in the distant future. It is not in direct competition with the air defense project initiated by Chancellor Olaf Scholz called “European Sky Shield” – and yet it shows that ideas differ as to how much the European pillar of NATO should be emancipated.
More concrete is the more intensive cooperation not only between the military themselves, but also in armaments projects. The gaps are so large that, in addition to special assets, there is also a need for efficiency gains through cooperation. This insight is not new either, the contractual basis for this has existed under the keyword Pesco since 2017 – they just have to be used more intensively.
National interests have not disappeared
National interests do not make the next steps a sure-fire success. If EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen now proposes joint ammunition procurement, there will be reservations about centralizing it in Brussels.
Domestically, the initiative by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius for uniform export criteria is likely to trigger many debates. Because new rules that make it easier for Europe’s armaments industry to earn money abroad would be less strict than the German ones to date. The road from knowledge to implementation remains a long one – despite the turning point in time.
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